If you went to a band concert in mid-19th century France, you would see many instruments that you would expect to find in today's wind ensembles. There would be the familiar flutes and clarinets, trumpets and trombones, and a typical percussion section. Saxophones had just been invented and were soon added to the standard instrumentation. One instrument you might not recognize, however, was the ophicleide. The tuba, as we know it, did not yet exist, and the aptly named "serpent" was deemed unsuccessful (we'll save that for a future post). In its place, a Frenchman named Halary created the ophicléide, a brass instrument with keys like a woodwind. Patented in 1821, it inspired the saxophone and was eventually replaced by the euphonium and tuba. In its heyday, however, it served as the low end of the band.
A typical ophicleide is about 8' long, conical in shape, and bent into a U shape. The mouthpiece is similar to that of a trombone or euphonium, and there are 11 keys. Unlike most woodwinds, however, 10 of these keys are always closed. When playing normally, without opening any keys, the instrument can hit the notes C, C, G, C, E, G, Bb, and C, just like a trumpet. When the first key is opened, this pattern is transposed up a half-step (C#, C#, G#, E#, G#, B, C#). By using various combinations, an entire chromatic scale can be played. (At this time, modern piston valves were still being developed, thus the need for keys).
Throughout the 1800s, composers such as Berlioz, Mendelssohn, and Wagner wrote parts for the ophicleide, and there were a number of outstanding soloists on the instrument. However, due to its softer sound and intonation issues, it fell out of favor in the late 1800s, especially as more powerful and precise sounding euphoniums and tubas were created. Today, the ophicleide is enjoying a bit of a renaissance, as can be seen in this 2007 video clip featuring Nick Byrne (Sydney Symphony, Sydney, Australia), Erhard Schwartz (Berlin, Germany), Douglas Yeo (Boston Symphony Orchestra), and Mark Evans (Deutsche Oper, Berlin, Germany) as musicians rediscover its warmth and beauty.
Sources:
Reginald Morley-Pegge, et al. "Ophicleide." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 14 Feb. 2009
Fennell, Frederick. Time and the Winds. Huntersville, NC: Conn-Selmer, 2007.
Your second paragraph is not quite correct. The first key, unlike all the others, stands open. When it is depressed (not 'opened'), it LOWERS the harmonic series by a semitone, like using the second valve on a modern brass instrument.
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